1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical system of the type having an X-ray machine with an X-ray system having an X-ray source and an X-ray receiver which can be adjusted relative to an object, and having a therapy unit, with a source for generating acoustic waves converging at a focus, which can be coupled to the X-ray machine. The invention also relates to a method for coupling the therapy unit to the X-ray machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical systems of this type are used, for example, in pain therapy, bone restoration, for disintegrating concrements in the body of a patient or for treating body tissue, for example tumorous tissue. Generally, the concrement or the body tissue is located with the aid of the X-ray machine and moved to the focus of the source of acoustic waves, after which focused acoustic waves are applied to the concrement or tissue.
A medical system of this general type is known, for example, from European Patent 0 606 548, which corresponds to German PS 43 00 740, which has a mobile X-ray machine, with an X-ray system arranged on a C arm, and a therapy unit with an electro-acoustical transducer for generating focused sound waves. The therapy unit can be detachably connected to the C-arm of the X-ray machine via a coupling device, it being possible for the C-arm to be pivoted around the focus of the transducer after being coupled to the therapy unit. The C-arm follows the pivoting movement of the transducer in this case.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,575 describes a medical system which has an X-ray machine, which is provided with an X-ray system having a vertically adjustable X-ray source and a fixed X-ray receiver, and a therapy unit with a source for generating focused acoustic waves. The source is detachably arranged on the X-ray source by means of a holding arm such that the source executes the same movements as the X-ray source in the event of a vertical adjustment of the X-ray source.
It has proven to be a disadvantage of these known medical systems that it is necessary, before coupling, for the therapy unit and the X-ray machine to be aligned relative to one another in a complicated and lengthy process so that the focus of the source is situated at least approximately in the beam path of the central beam of an X-ray bundle emitted by the X-ray source and proceeding to the X-ray receiver. A further disadvantage is that the therapy unit can be coupled to the X-ray machine, and/or the source of focused acoustic waves can be coupled to the X-ray source, only in such a way that the possibilities of using the X-ray system for X-ray locating and X-ray monitoring are limited by the coupling of the X-ray source and the source of focused acoustic waves.
German OS 44 43 495 discloses a therapy unit having a lithotriptor with a carriage and, arranged thereon, a fixed-focus shock wave generator, and having an X-ray machine for X-ray locating with a carriage and, arranged thereon, a C-arm carrying an X-ray tube assembly and an X-ray image converter. The carriage of the therapy unit can be coupled to the carriage of the X-ray machine in such a way that, after coupling, the focus of the shock wave generator is situated on the central beam, at least at the locating positions, this central beam proceeding from the X-ray tube assembly to the X-ray image converter.
A disadvantage of this known lithotriptor is that additional alignment processes are required so that, after coupling, the focus of the shock wave generator is situated not only on the central beam of the X-ray bundle proceeding from the X-ray tube assembly to the X-ray image converter, but also, as is frequently desired, on the angulation axis of the X-ray machine. Moreover, the coupling of the carriages is inconvenient and requires a certain expenditure of force, since the carriages must be pushed precisely into engagement with one another, one carriage being raised by the other in order to be able to move the carriages jointly.
Another apparatus for treating organisms with acoustic waves is known from German OS 41 30 761. Arranged on a C-arm of the apparatus are an X-ray system, including an X-ray source and an X-ray receiver, and a source of acoustic waves which can be adjusted on the inner circumference of the C-arm. The X-ray system and the source, however, are not components of units which are designed separately from one another and can be detachably coupled to one another.